Our “civilized” world dramatically removes us from our natural environment. This greatly affects our health and longevity in a number of ways. A significant example of this is probably where you are right now – in a C.H.A.I.R. It does not matter if it is a desk chair, a lounge chair, a couch, or a car, train, bus seat. Google images for chairs and you can see how much of a mine field exists out there …

In general, too much sitting reduces mobility – and just as in nature, our mobility is directly tied to our longevity. But the reality is our lives, homes, travel, jobs utilize chairs for most of our day. So how do we manage this public enemy?

Consider … Do you sit “on” the chair or do you sit “in” the chair?

ON the chair suggests some level of postural alignment to efficiently manage gravity acting down on you. If you sit on the front of the chair with your shoulders over your hips/sitz bones you can efficiently use your skeleton. A good focus for this is to allow the back of your neck to be long as if there is a small balloon pulling on the back crown of your head. See a related blog post here: Going Running or Being Run?.

IN the chair suggests less postural alignment with collapsed spine, slumped posture and muscular effort in the back, hips and pelvis.

A great tool is an exercise ball to body sense an aligned seated posture and to develop core strength. Core strength is a big key to efficient posture.

Also Consider … How Often? Moving toward a Balance or an Imbalance?

• Sit a lot for work or commute? Be more active otherwise; and takes mobility breaks as often as possible.
• Drive? Park a little farther away and walk a few extra steps.
• TV on? Get down on the floor and move around, twist, stretch or do some light exercises.

Overall our health is greatly affected by our mobility which is greatly affected by our posture. Posture is a balance between alignment and relaxation. When your body is aligned shoulders over hips against gravity, then the strongest material in your body – your structure/skeleton – is maintaining your position with support from your muscles. If your body is not aligned, your muscles work harder to deal with the big force of gravity.

Alignment, Relaxation and Balance – a few key concepts to consider all day long. Either way, your day is going to affect your walk/run … and vice versa. You have a huge opportunity to practice your running/walking all day long …

What posture tricks to you use to help you stay focused, aligned, relaxed and balanced as much as possible?

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

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1. The Key to Posture Like to run or walk but feeling efficient or discomfort,...
2. Lower Ab Exercise Variation One of the common challenges to efficient and injury-free running...
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This blog is mainly about creating efficiency in our movement so that we can improve our health and, if desired, increase our performance. But this blog is also about supporting efficiency in all aspects of life. Efficiency in movement is created by balancing effort across all parts of the body relative to their ability. But what if one part of the body is not able to efficiently contribute to this balance; or worse yet detract from it? An example might be upper body vs. lower body or maybe the leg vs. the big toe.

Yet another relationship exists between “levels”. For example, muscles are limited by their “parts” which are cells. And all of those cells are in turn limited by their parts which are molecules. What if you are working towards balance at the body/muscle level and a lower level is out of balance?

I was reminded of this concept about 11 months ago from a fellow runner and good friend. I saw him one day at a group run and I could tell there was something a little different. He had a bit more spring in his step and higher energy after the run. I asked him what he was up to. He said he was testing a product that promotes balance at the cellular level by supplementing “molecules”. He said the molecules are native to the body, but they can get out of balance for a number of reasons which can make the cellular functions inefficient. What was interesting was that this supplementation was occurring below the substance, antioxidant or vitamin level; and was providing the raw molecules our cells need to promote balance and health.

He asked me if I wanted to try the product. This idea to supplement at a level below traditional supplements was new to me but I could clearly “see” in him there was something to it. I had only 10 days before a major 50 mile ultra marathon and I don’t like to introduce anything new that close to an event. I decided to try it for a few days and see what happened. I saw him again the following week and told him I was experiencing better sleep, more energy and less recovery. I continued to use it up until race day. On race day morning, I debated what to do … and decided to take a pre-event amount.

The next thing I knew I was crossing the finish line 45 minutes earlier (for 50 miles) than the year before. The ultra felt very “different” this time. I did not get the same tension and fatigue in the later miles as in previous years. And it almost felt like my body was dealing with the exhaust of my activity while I was still running the event. Afterwards I had more at the hotel as well as in the days that followed. That evening and the next day my recovery seemed much less than in previous years. A few days later I was running as if the event had never happened.

I continued to use the product and about 10 days later I remember a long group run. That is when I really noticed another benefit: enhanced aerobic performance (study here). I could sense much less aerobic effort on a familiar hilly course. Even a few friends commented that I was running so well so soon after my event.

I have been using the product ever since; and continue to enjoy the many benefits from improved sleep to more energy to clearer skin to better digestion to higher performance to less recovery. I use a daily amount and then add more for a long training run or event. In about a month the same 50 mile ultra marathon event is coming up again. I am very interested to see how almost a whole year of greater balance at the cellular level might enhance my experience; and perhaps suggest an increase in health … from the inside out.

[Update 10/27/11: My most recent ASEA experience this past Sunday at a very challenging ultra marathon: 2011 Bimblers Bluff 50K Ultra Summary]

What’s the Science behind it? This short video explains it:

Direct link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8IfaW-38yE

Hear more testimonials about athletic performance in this video:

Direct link on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsx3ZyZtEvE

But it is not just for athletes, what other benefits may be possible? See more health testimonials here: http://www.yesitsamazing.com/

How can you test it risk free for yourself or for a friend or family member? You can do a one month “case” study; every case comes with a 30 day money back guarantee. Most people will notice some benefits within a few days to one month. More information here:

• http://www.echifitness.com/asea.html
• Please contact me if you want to do your own test. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
• Note: I only recommend products I have had a great personal experience with. Although I have moved away from supplements in recent years in favor of whole food nutrition, this is one product I would not want to ever do without.

In the NJ area? Want to learn more? Join us for an ASEA Educational Presentation next Thursday Oct 27th in Tinton Falls, NJ at 7PM. Zero obligation; just come, listen and learn more. Presentation details here. Can’t make the meeting? Contact me and we will connect to get you more information.

ASEA is currently available in the USA and Canada. It is coming to Europe, Asia and other areas soon! But no matter where you live, be sure to contact me now to learn more or to experience the benefits for yourself.

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

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Or more specifically, is it possible to be be fit but not healthy? This question relates back to “Why do I run?” When I started ChiRunning many years ago my running goal was efficiency while getting beyond the 2+ years of frustration due to nagging injuries. But my goal, the real goal, was health.

Fitness can certainly help you be healthy. But I am learning more and more that you can be fit and not be healthy. You can run a very fast 5K and not really be healthy. This is one of the reasons I don’t focus on short races or speed; they are not in the critical path of my health goals. Someday I will likely come back to them, but I have a feeling my performance will be mainly the result of my health more than the training.

But you can also run a 50 mile ultra marathon and not be healthy. I have sensed this myself; very efficient running, check. But not very efficient keeping my physiology balanced for fuel and electrolytes. And whenever there is an imbalance a lot of stress is created.

• High fitness stress, ie. “fight or flight” response
• Nutritional stress

What is probably even harder on the body is the stop (brake) and go (gas) that can also occur when you combine these two stresses (See blog post Living On The Brake). This is the “run to eat” approach to health, umm I mean fitness. Meaning run with high stress and then eat “hard” for high stress. On both the run and post run, the body is dealing with inefficient fueling for the task at hand. On the run, the task is performance at some level. After the run, the task is recovery. The type of fuel or non-fuel ingested drastically affects both.

I am reading The Big Book of Endurance Training by Phil Maffetone. I can relate to many of his concepts through my own challenges, and in some cases had a “duh” or “aha” moment when I realized this was the information I needed to get to my next level. I have already noticed a big change in how my “health” program feels after making just a few adjustments.

A few key concepts I am working on:

• Low glycemic nutrition to stabilize blood sugar.
• Low heart rate training paces to increase my aerobic base, teach my body to burn fat and to limit the high stress that occurs during a “fight or flight” response. As the aerobic base is developed, the training pace increases. In doing this I have also noticed that my technique focus has been enhanced by slowing it down and thinking clearer.
• A fitness program = work + rest. Days off, balance across long run/short run/gym workouts.
• A health program includes low stress nutrition + low stress fitness + rest (sleep).
• “Less is more”, pg 155. First introduction to this same point many years ago was page 4 of the ChiRunning book.

The concepts may work a bit in isolation, but they are much more powerful together as in a holistic fuel-move-balance-rest approach. I have some long running events coming up this fall as further tests on my critical path to health. As above, my performance in these type of events has been mainly a function of physiology; meaning access to fuel sources, nutrition, “fight or flight”, etc. Based on just a few weeks of training considering the above key concepts, I can see where it may be very possible to have some very different experiences this fall. And these are experiences that can confirm the target, increasing health.

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1. Running, Walking and Living on the Brake? A primary ChiRunning and ChiWalking concept is to move forward...
2. ChiRunning Common Challenges, Core When I first started applying the ChiRunning® principles back in...
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A primary ChiRunning and ChiWalking concept is to move forward with momentum while minimizing resistance. In both running and in life, efficiency and longevity comes from gradual forward progress with your foot subtly on the gas pedal with limited use of the brake.

If you press on the gas too much, you will likely need to use the brakes more. If you don’t trust mentally, you will likely use the brake. Or some of us just ride the brake all the time not realizing that our actions are slowing us down. In my seminars I often ask the question “Who steps on the gas and on the brake at the same time when they drive a car?”

The answer is obvious. My next question is “Why should your vehicle be treated any differently?” Any vehicle that is driven “hard”, or spends a lot of time in the shop or ingests … poor fuel, is affecting its efficiency and its longevity. The difference between a vehicle and your vehicle is you only get one vehicle.

Here are just a few examples of excess effort and excess braking in both running/walking and in life:

Running/Walking:

• Pushing, reaching, pulling – and then overstriding.
• Pushing, reaching, pulling – and creating resistance due to effort (*)
• Leaning too much (ChiRunning) – and then resisting with an overstride or by tensing the feet.
• Pushing beyond your fitness level – and then tensing or losing form and/or creating a long recovery time.

(* This is similar to the “muscle” car that slows to a stop if you take your foot off the gas. The inherent power in the engine is also a brake.)

Life:

• “Weekend Warrior”, trying to get in all your fitness on one day – and then needing to take the rest of the week off.
• “Fitness to Eat” (example), getting your fitness in – and then eating and drinking things that un-do your fitness program and leave you with less overall benefit. This includes any food or drink that you know is not clearly supporting your fitness/health goals.
• “Work hard, play hard”, taking short cuts in maintaining balanced health – and then getting sick.
• “Overextended”, taking a very big step towards your goal without balance – and then having trouble maintaining forward progress.
• “Mental Apprehension”, having a goal – and then hesitating or procrastinating.

In both cases, we can ignore or mask our body senses – often with medication or stimulating food/drink – but the effect of the stop and go is still present. Eventually the additive effects of our repetitive actions will likely result in something much, much harder to address than any one individual action we take. Would it not be easier to just make the choice to brake a little less? That depends on your perspective. Is it focused on short term pleasure or does it consider something longer term?

Question: In what scenarios do you step on the brake in life? A brake is anything that results in resistance, slows you down, makes you feel heavy, de-energizes you, etc.

These scenarios are likely ones that either physically or mentally:

• Take you out of alignment
• Originate from outside your center or “core”, including your values
• Knock you off balance
• Ask you to act from weakness and not strength
• Go against the principles or forces of nature

Question: What if you could ease off your brake(s) just a little? A good way to consider opportunities for this is to ask a simple question: Is what I am about to do clearly helping me towards my goals or will it slow down my progress? If it will help, go for it. If not, minimize?

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The term “Pre-hab” was first introduced to me in early 2006 when I first met the author of ChiRunning, Danny Dreyer. Interesting how other authors have now decided to use the term also, but I am not surprised since it so accurately describes an alternate path we can take in our fitness programs. An overall objective of most fitness programs is to get moving and stay moving consistently. This can be any kind of fitness training; strength training, range of motion, sport, walking/hiking, running, etc.

The most common path we find ourselves on is unfortunately the re-hab path. Re-hab is what happens when our actions create resistance towards consistent forward progress. Re-hab can be anything from the slightest mental hesitation to what is necessary after a complex surgery. The risk is too our mobility; and to some degree when our mobility is compromised so is our health.

The other path is the “Pre-hab” path that result in a fitness “practice”. Pre-hab is preventative and offers a way to completely avoid the rehab path. Here are some potential physical and mental characteristics of each path.

Re-hab Path Characteristics:

• A Mind over Body approach and hoping for the best
• Increases apprehension, fatigue, discomfort, aches/pain, injury, and even surgery
• External goal orientated, usually short term motivation
• Accepts existing habits unconsciously without considering principle
• Focused on training harder and just getting “through” the workout
• Creates resistance leading to inconsistency; stop-go-stop-go …
• Develops fear of the next re-hab event
• Has a high potential for frustration

Pre-hab Path Characteristics:

• A Mind/Body “practice” of self discovery, ie. ChiRunning.
• Increases energy; and reduces chance of discomfort, aches/pains, injury, surgery
• Internal process orientated, develops skills for long term success
• Creates new supportive habits consciously based on principle
• Focused on training smarter based on the body’s design, physics and nature; and getting something “from” the workout
• Creates momentum, consistency and confidence
• Develops a “knowing” on how to re-adjust the process before a small issue becomes a major event
• Has a high potential for enjoyment and self satisfaction

As you move through life, the choices might once again resemble this analogy:

The re-hab option results in some forward progress then a pause with resistance, and repeat. Getting restarted is harder; and even harder as we get older. The pre-hab option, such as ChiRunning or ChiWalking, results in increasing potential as a function of increasing skill. Each incremental success gives us momentum and confidence to consider a slightly “bigger” experience. In short, we become more so we can experience more. This is what happens as we pass each test and each grade in school. If your life has been an ongoing process of learning, why would your fitness programs be any different?

The choice of a fitness and life path is of course, yours.

~~~

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At the beginning of the ChiRunning book one of my favorite concepts is introduced: “Your biography becomes your biology” [1]. We all have a biography that shapes our present moment, both physically and mentally. The good news is that “with a little patience and perseverance” we have the ability to add new choices and habits to our biography, providing far-reaching benefits to our health, fitness and well-being.

I was a very active kid and enjoyed a lot of different sports and activities. But as a teenager, running was one activity I did not enjoy. It was only a necessary means of conditioning for other high school sports. In my 20s, my biography presented itself in the form of significant postural mis-alignment and imbalance. Challenged to enjoy almost any physical activity without the fear of the resulting aches and pains, I was fortunate to be introduced to a posture therapy approach called The Egoscue Method in my early 30s. The method uses simple exercises to gradually re-align a person’s posture into a functional state. In a relatively short period of time I was pain-free and enjoying more and more physical activity.

Running eventually entered the picture as a way to engage my improving mobility, and to release the stress of a type A personality and challenging career. My running quickly developed into over-training and then over-racing.  After ignoring my body’s warning signs, I sustained nagging injuries and had a hard time running consistently. Two years later, a fellow runner said a few magical words to me: “Oh, you are an injured runner? You have to get this book … ChiRunning.”  The pages turned themselves as I absorbed common sense principles that provided the answers I was looking for – not only for my running form but also for my running philosophy.

By applying the ChiRunning principles, I have run injury-free with significantly less effort ever since. But there is always a new challenge that turns each run into an enjoyable adventure. The concept of a running ‘practice’ maintains a focus on consistent gradual progress. This big picture view is now much more important to me than any mile marker or split time. Most incredibly, I can run farther and faster than I could before with minimal recovery time. And the addition of ChiWalking provides its own unique challenges. It provides a slower motion practice and also the opportunity to be conscious of my movement with every step I take. In a way, I get to practice my running all day long.

ChiRunning and ChiWalking also teach me as much about myself and my life as they do about how to move my body. Interestingly, I have learned to mentally push/pull/force less, to cooperate more and oppose less, to be more aware of staying in balance, and to act based on what is truly important and stay flexible about everything else. The simple skill of being able to focus my mind supports increasingly bigger and better decisions in many areas of my life. Developing a better connection between my mind and my body creates a sense of awareness and coordination, adding to the much needed concept of balance.

My website is www.eChiFitness.com. Catchy? Maybe. It is an abbreviation for EnerChi Fitness, the name of my company. But there is a deeper meaning behind this website name. “eChi” (pronounced ee-chi and more traditionally spelled y’chi, [2]) is a term that means “the combination of a focused mind and a responsive body.” It is the primary state from which we find ourselves moving without effort, both physically and mentally. Wherever you are in your biography, there is no doubt that “a little patience and perseverance” can move you in the direction of y’chi with far-reaching benefits to your biology.

As a ChiRunning/ChiWalking Instructor, I am humbled by the opportunity to share and to facilitate choices that can have a dramatic effect on the health, fitness and well-being in people’s lives. I continue to experience the effects first hand, and every day I look forward to learning from and being energized by what is possible for all of us.

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[1] ChiRunning, A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running, page 2 (quote attributed to Carolyn Myss, Anatomy of the Spirit).
[2] ChiRunning, A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-free Running, page 44.

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Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

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~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

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Looking for a true gift, one to give or receive?  There may be no gift more valuable than a few simple ideas for lifelong health.

“The first wealth is health.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Most people are passionate about sharing ideas about healthy living. An important piece of the healthy living puzzle is fitness; also simply called ‘motion’. We are all designed for motion; our health depends on it. The challenge is getting moving and staying moving through repetitive motions that can sometimes result in fatigue, discomfort, pain, injury … perhaps even surgery and ‘re-hab’.

But what if a preventative ‘pre-hab’ fitness program existed that could address this challenge? What if some simple principles of nature can empower anyone to get moving efficiently and stay moving with greater enjoyment and consistency?

I feel very fortunate that someone passionate about sharing suggested ChiRunning® to me four years ago almost to the day.  I can still picture the whole conversation, I can hear the words and feel the AHA moment sensing that it could just be that simple.  In those few moments, everything changed for me.

Consider the gift of efficient, injury-free running or walking for yourself or someone you know. ChiRunning (“chee-running”) and ChiWalking apply simple principles of nature to help us get back to moving ‘naturally’. It is just that simple.

On the ChiRunningand ChiWalking websites there are many online (free!) resources as well as published materials to support your safe and effective lifelong fitness program.

A very happy holiday season to you; and as always … my best to our great health.

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

Related posts:

1. Making Gradual Progress The way we stand and move are habits formed over...
2. Your Biography Becomes Your Biology At the beginning of the ChiRunning book one of my...
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Many of us have heard the concept of “running is a metaphor [or mirror] for life”.

There have been many ways to apply and learn from this concept.  Just Google the phrase and you will see many posts on the subject.

A few days ago a great quote came across my path:

“Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are” ~ Chinese proverb

There is that ‘should’ word again.  I think this quote finally describes the reason why I prefer not to use this word.  As a runner and a student of both the physical and mental aspects of running, I immediately applied this quote to running.  A few years ago when I ran tense it was about all about “should”, the watch, the miles; all about external expectations.  I was injured often.

Four years ago, almost to the day I was introduced to ChiRunning® and its simple principles applied to movement.

As I learn running (and life) lessons, I run more and more relaxed for a number of reasons; primarily because I have created my own internal running ‘practice’.  I run for my reasons; for my health and to enjoy the process of discovery.  My running is consistent with who I am.  I have not been injured since.  Yet I am faster than I have ever been.

Interesting how that happens … which can be summed up nicely in my favorite three words in the whole ChiRunning® book: “Less is more” (right up front on page 4).

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

Related posts:

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The way we stand and move are habits formed over time from our life experiences. Making adjustments to your posture and motion will take time; but with consistent focus and practice, not nearly as much time in which those habits were formed.

In a previous post ‘A Journey of a Thousand Miles‘, the principle of Gradual Progress was introduced. This is a key principle for any change, not just your posture or your running/walking technique. It is a key principle of nature itself. Everything in nature transitions from state to state incrementally. When something in nature attempts to skip a step; and is inefficient or out of balance for too long, it is usually reminded of this principle with impact to its longevity.

Here is another way to look at it. If you had a choice, which set of steps below would you rather climb? Orange or Blue?

Perhaps most of us have never thought about it, but steps are designed specifically to allow humans to make Gradual Progress balancing effort with efficiency. Too little a step means too little effort and lower efficiency. Too big a step means too much effort and lower efficiency. Steps have a height (rise) and depth (run) based on their purpose.

If you have ever run or walked a hill and it felt much like a lot a additional effort, it could be that you were taking too big of a step. If you ever added too many upgrades (long, total miles, hills, intervals, etc) to your training program, you may have been asking your body to take too big a step forward.

When we take too big a ‘step’, we can get out of balance. When we get out of balance, all kinds of compensations take over for the primary goal of survival (or the survival of the goal). We use more ‘muscle’, or other muscles not designed to handle the task; and maybe we sacrifice the long term to support the short term. Out of balance for too long, say in the repetitive stress motions of life, we can create resistance in the form of tension, fatigue, discomfort, aches/pains and eventually injury and/or dis-ease.

The question again comes back to “On average, what kind of steps are you taking as you move through the many aspects of your life?” … both physically and mentally. Are they steps balancing effort and efficiency, maximizing forward momentum and minimizing resistance or  are they steps which skip steps and/or pull you out of balance?

I experienced the negative effects of this concept a few years ago through my running. At one point, I struggled to run consistently due to nagging injuries for almost two years. That was almost four years ago and I have been running injury-free ever since. What changed? I did. I was introduced to ChiRunning and realized that both my running technique and my running program was out of balance. Both were asking my body to move in a state of in-balance and against simple principles of nature.

As I changed my approach to my running(*) through ChiRunning for effortless, injury-free running, I never expected its simple principles of nature to also teach me so much about the rest of life in nature. At first I thought this the bonus, but now realize it was clearly the prize.

[* and later my walking through ChiWalking so I can apply the principles all day long.]

~~~

Thoughts on this post? Leave your comment or question below and join the discussion …

Receive email updates for posts to this blog …

~~~

David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

~~~

Related posts:

1. Should We Run Barefoot? Recently there has been a lot of focus on the...
2. Your Biography Becomes Your Biology At the beginning of the ChiRunning book one of my...
3. Sharing the True Gift of Health Looking for a true gift, one to give or receive? ...

Recently there has been a lot of focus on the concept of running barefoot.  Some purists suggest we should all be running barefoot, period.  Personally, I don’t care for the word ‘should’.  It implies someone else telling me what to do or be, when we all have to decide that for ourselves.

But can we just go run barefoot?  To help answer this, consider how long it has been since you ran barefoot.  20 years, 40 years, 60 years?; most of us have not run barefoot since we first learned how to run as toddlers (*).  How many years of shoes, dress shoes, high heeled shoes, perhaps periods of inactivity, or of modern running shoes do you have in you?  These are just a few examples of all the stimulus the body is adapting to every minute of every day.  This adaptation happens slowly and if we want to reverse the resulting changes in posture, muscle strength, flexibility, balance and confidence; it may take time to do so safely with limited risk.

If you decide to one day go for your regular run barefoot, you are suggesting that you have a ‘fast forward undo’ card.  Nature probably does not work well that way for most of us.  But I am not suggesting that this approach (or any other approach) is wrong or impossible, just that we can be met with resistance if we go against nature.  In many cases, running barefoot can be very helpful in reconnecting with our sense of the ground and how we are interacting with it.

[*We might consider that the way we run 'naturally' is the way we ran instinctively as young children in bare feet.  This is the same way many people or cultures who have been running all of their lives continue to run.  They have maintained the instinct for running efficiently and without injury.  There are numerous images and videos on the internet - some examples of 'natural' running might be elite Kenyan runners, and also the Tarahumara Indians from Mexico in a related post Natural Running Technique.]

Challenges

Here are some challenges to running barefoot:
- Let’s face it, most runners are Type A personalities. Running ‘less’, get ‘slower’ or take a few ‘numerical’ steps back to move forward in a new way is difficult.  In our society, we tend to want ‘more’ and want it ‘now’.  Going barefoot will require a period of adaptation with limited expectations of speed and distance to reduce chances of over-stress and injury.  Running barefoot takes constant focus, ongoing practice and patience.  There are no shortcuts to developing new habits.  The most effective approach is likely to make Gradual Progress resulting in long term success.
- Running barefoot is best done with relaxed feet.  Putting feet/body/mind in the unfamiliar situation of being barefoot on an unfamiliar surface will likely result in mental apprehension and physical tension, particularly in our feet.  Many runners run tense and stiff already as it is in shoes, so being barefoot presents an even larger challenge to staying relaxed.  Relaxed feet means less stress at impact, less effort in the lower legs, less overall tension, less resistance to motion, and even a reduction in the fight or flight response that can be caused by cramped feet.
- It can be dangerous out there.  Danger exists on the roads, sidewalks, everywhere; even on the trails and grassy areas you will find man-made (and natural) obstacles to distract you and promote apprehension.  Unfortunate, but reality.

Options

Here are just a few approach options:
- Option A: Do nothing.  This is heading out the door, shoes or shoeless, and hoping for the best.  Given that 65-80% of all runners get injured every year, we might consider learning all that we can to avoid being part of that statistic.  Many times a simple and subtle adjustment can have a significant effect on our running experience.
- Option B: Run barefoot and let your body figure out the necessary technique. In this case,  the body provides feedback to the mind; and the mind attempts to make adjustments.  This approach can be risky, frustrating and can sometimes take a lot of time via trial and error.  This may also not result in the highest possible level of running efficiency.  To this ‘let the body guide you’ approach, you might add a few ideas suggested by others.

[Note: Even cars these days have a powerful computer that uses sensors to make operational adjustments.  The difference here is that the computer is pre-programmed with a complete understanding of how the vehicle is designed and how it operates most efficiently.]

- Option C: Learn how to run barefoot before you run barefoot; so that you could run barefoot if you wanted to.  Meaning, pre-program the human computer.  This approach is mind/body, where the mind and body act as a team.  The mind directs to the body based on learned principles; and the body provides feedback to that process.  In this case, basic knowledge of anatomy, principles of nature and laws of physics are applied proactively to improve technique.  As technique improves the body will naturally sense and signal a change in footwear is available.  Then small steps to change footwear occur generally along this path: Motion Control shoes to Stability to Cushioning to Racing Flat to Minimalist to Barefoot.  Small steps suggest small changes as well as a gradual adapt-in period for the body to get comfortable with any change.  In this case; technique, balance and confidence are all developed in parallel.  Also in this case, this approach is clearly Rooted in Principles which can each be used more or less depending on one’s own experience.  When or if you change your footwear is based completely on your own instinct and experiences.

Do I Personally Run Barefoot?

I don’t, but have a very good sense that I could.  I run almost all of my miles in very light, very flexible trail racing flats.  I started working on my running technique about four years ago in a very stiff Motion Control shoe.  As I improved my running technique over months, I found I needed less and less shoe.  As I worked on my alignment, I reduced pronation and moved to a cushioning shoe.  As I improved my interaction with the ground, I reduced the need for cushioning and moved to racing flats and trail racing flats.  This also increased my ability to sense my interaction with the ground.

New Balance 790

I now run most of my miles on all surfaces in New Balance 790 Trail Racing Flats; and have completed several ultra marathons up to 50 miles in them.  I have recently started running more and more without any insert at all.  I also keep my shoes tied loose.  I slip them on and off without needing to untie them.  This does two things.  First, it keeps my feet very relaxed since the shoe does not constrict my movement and allows it to land naturally within my shoe.  It also gives me constant feedback on my running technique.  If my feet slide around in my shoe, then my technique must is off due to undesired horizontal forces in my feet.  So my chosen shoes have become an aid to my technique practice with limited to no interference.

I have run short distances at times barefoot to get feedback on my running technique.  I also use running barefoot at times with my clients.  There is nothing like a hard surface to teach someone how to be ‘soft’.

I have considered running barefoot more but sense this would add risk in terms of safety, and adversely affect my focus on technique.  I personally want to explore the unknown path more while further refining my technique.  Being barefoot may interfere with those goals.

Technique

Here are a few technique points to consider for both barefoot and shod (**) running:
- Aligned posture with shoulders over hips over ankles
- Relaxed feet
- Midfoot (full-foot) landing to use primarily the structure of the lower leg/foot for momentary support
- No lower leg effort, no pushing off with the feet/toes
- Highly efficient position and motion by cooperating with the forces of nature; which means a subtle forward lean from the ankles to engage the pull of gravity and feet landing under the posture line and not in front of it

[** shod, an interesting new term meaning shoe-d.]

There are many running ‘techniques’ approaches to consider, many taking a purist position on ‘right’, ‘wrong’ and ‘should’ – a position I do not take.  I am partial to ChiRunning due to my own success implementing its simple principles and their benefits.  My experience is higher and higher levels of effortless running with virtually no recovery; and the elimination of all aches/pains and injury.  If the above list makes sense to you; then please check out ChiRunning and see if it can work for you also.  Perhaps there is just one ChiRunning concept that will make all the difference for you.  Or perhaps there are additional time-tested principles of nature that can be helpful.  After all, we are talking about running more ‘naturally’.  Proactively applying principles of nature seems like it could be an efficient approach to moving in that direction.

[Note: If you are a walker (aren't we all ...), then ChiWalking is a great way to apply the same principles of nature to walking and hiking.  And applying more focus to walking can lead to higher levels of running technique since we get to practice our running all day long].

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David Stretanski is a holistic health, fitness and wellness coach and Certified ChiRunning®/ChiWalking® Instructor. For more information on David, please see his About Me, Contact page or his website at http://www.eChiFitness.com.

ChiRunning® and ChiWalking® are registered trademarks of ChiLiving, Inc.

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